Posted: 8/25/2008 8:57:02 AM EDT
|
I picked up a Knight Disc .45 Elite for my 9 year old daughter so she can hunt this coming deer season instead of watching and waiting for general firearms. The thing has never been shot and I got from the EE for $100. Anyways, I need a low recoil load that will give accuracy out to 100 yards. She's accustom to shooting her 20 ga. with rifled slugs. So something close to that would be fine. What weight sabot/power belt and charge do you guys recommend? |
|
If she's used to shooting 20-gauge slugs, most any saboted load for a muzzleloader will be fine, as far as recoil goes. I really like the Hornady SST bullets, or any of the all-copper Barnes muzzleloader bullets. I'd stick with the heavier weights in .45 caliber. IIRC, the .45 Hornady SST is a 200-grain bullet. Stick with that weight, or more. I would NOT recommend the CVA powerbelt bullets. The later-generation models may be OK, but the earlier ones were just soft-lead, underpentrating, not-very-accurate marketing gimmicks. My other advice? If legal, ditch the Knight (don't get me wrong - I own and have owned several Knight rifles, have shot lots of deer with them) and buy a Savage so you can use smokeless powder (again...if legal in your state). As for powder, use whatever the local dealer carries that's in pellet form. Pellets = trouble-free. YMMV. |
|
sorry I can not give you any specifics. In general, it is a good thing to work up your load for a given muzzle loader. Every barrel will have it's own preference on powder, lube etc. I am assuming (without any real basis) that the rifle is an inline, with a fairly fast twist (greater than 1:48) and is designed for sabots rather than patched balls. I just got my daughter a semi traditional .36 with a 1:66 twist - this is a patched ball gun (will not even hope to stabilize a modern bullet). I am under the impression I could load it up to 60-70 grains safely, but there is no need to. I find it could keeps groups covered with a penny at 50ft with 15-25 grains of Pyrodex P, but it opened up a lot with 30 and 35. Meanwhile with goex FFFg (the real stuff), the group really tightened up at 25 grains (but was getting too dark to continue). Penny sized groups at 50' is definitely minute of squirrel. Why try Goex? Goex has a lower flash point - which results in better ignitions and better lock times. Both are important, especially for those who shoot traditional rifles offhand. Anyway, that is how I spent 4+ hrs of last Saturday, and will probably spend a few more Saturday afternoons as well. Look at this as a fun way to spend a morning with your daughter - learning the rifle and spending quality time together. (but don't do it like I did - Afternoon, no sunscreen  )
|